7 complaints reported

2018 Subaru WRX Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
7
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Aug 2025

Oil changes always done, no modifications to vehicle. Driving down road lights all come one and car starts smoking. Rod broke and put hole in engine.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU WRX, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: May 2025
Nov 2024

******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS REQUESTED BY THE CONSUMER THAT THEY WISH TO HAVE IT REMOVED. DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU WRX, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2023
Oct 2024

******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS REQUESTED BY THE CONSUMER THAT THEY WISH TO HAVE IT REMOVED. DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU WRX, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2023
Aug 2024

Engine Failure rod bearing failure is extremely common. Can leave motorist in danger being stranded on the road. Subaru of America has inspected the engine but claims they are at not fault and refuse to assist. Investigate online how common the motor failure on a fa20dit motor is. I can tell you many owners who are on their 2nd to 3rd motor. This is extremely dangerous and I hope there is a resolution.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU WRX, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2023
Jul 2024

I bought a 2018 Subaru WRX with 61,000 miles, After driving it 6,000 miles with engine spun a rod bearing, requiring a complete engine replacement. This is a vehicle that in the previous 4th generation of the car, it was recalled for this exact issue. the total repair bill for this fix is $11,720.43. This is on a car with 67,000 miles. 7,000 miles over Subaru's manufacture warranty. After speaking with a few service advisors at Subaru. it is my belief, that this is a known issue with this model.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU WRX, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2024
Mar 2024

Engine rod knock at 32,000 miles due to bearing failure causing loss of control of vehicle and sudden loss of power and control. Car was logged to be traveling at 35 mph with normal acceleration at time of failure. Carter Subaru confirmed bearing failure, and fits with the pattern confirmed in 2012-2017 WRX STi engine failure class action settlement, as part in 2018 remains unchanged from 2017 according to mechanics. Head mechanic at dealership confirmed that only car modification (intake) would not cause catastrophic loss of oil leading to bearing failure, and thus it is likely due to engine design that leads to poor oil circulation as a known issue in this EJ25 engine type. Engine components have been inspected by Carter Subaru, and have been made available to Subaru of America, along with images, videos, pictures, receipts, logs, records, computer/ECU data, receipts, tool purchases, and other maintenance and service logs for the car (including prior to ownership). Dealership acknowledges that the car maintenance exceeded the manufacturer recommendation, yet engine still failed even with oil changes done at 3,000 mile intervals... While manual states much higher interval to follow. Engine still failed at increased oil change levels. Problem appeared once engine started knocking, which means the engine has already suffered irreversible engine failure and needs to be replaced, according to Subaru. Subaru of America assigned a customer advocate but has been incommunicado for the duration of the investigation and refuses to answer or even acknowledge that a claim has been opened, as they constantly cite erroneous interactions with the vehicle owner.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU WRX, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2024
Nov 2018

VEHICLE MILEAGE WAS 7387 MILES. WHILE DRIVING SEVERAL CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED INCLUDING TRACTION CONTROL, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, ABS, HILL DECENT ASSIST, CRUISE CONTROL ICON FLASHING. VEHICLE POWER WAS DRAMATICALLY REDUCED. MADE APPOINTMENT NEXT DAY WITH SUBARU DEALERSHIP. I WAS INFORMED CODE P0016 SHOWED UP ON THE DIAGNOSIS. IT INDICATED CRANKSHAFT POSITION CAMSHAFT POSITION CORRELATION BANK 1 SENSOR A. VEHICLE WAS AT DEALERSHIP FOR CLOSE TO TWO WEEKS. NUMEROUS PARTS WERE REPLACED INCLUDING OIL VALVE ASSEMBLY, CAMSHAFT SPROCKET ASSEMBLY, ECU CONTROL UNIT, GUIDE CHAINS, CHAIN LEVER, ETC. I HAVE INVOICE FROM DEALERSHIP DETAILING ALL PARTS REPLACED. ALTHOUGH COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, A BRAND NEW VEHICLE WITH UNDER 8000 SHOULDN'T ENCOUNTER THESE ISSUES.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 SUBARU WRX, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2018

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2018 Subaru WRX has 7 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.